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After new Yankees boss Hank Steinbrenner lambasted the notion of Red Sox Nation, Boston principal owner John Henry has offered an olive branch to his American League East rival.
Henry has decided to make Steinbrenner the newest member of Red Sox Nation complete with membership card and certain perks that only members can obtain.
"I'm a big Hank fan," Henry wrote in an e-mail to several media outlets, including the Boston Herald. "Just to ensure he knows how cool Red Sox Nation is, [Saturday] we officially inducted him as a member of Red Sox Nation and we are sending him his membership card giving him access to an array of options including our newsletter, bumper stickers, pins, Green Monster seats and a hat personally autographed by David Ortiz."
Steinbrenner has explained quite succinctly just what he thought about the concept of Red Sox Nation.
"Red Sox Nation? What a bunch of [expletive] that is," he said in an interview with The New York Times' Play magazine. "That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans.
"Go anywhere in America and you won't see Red Sox hats and jackets, you'll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We're going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order."
Hank Steinbrenner's interview, in the March 2 issue of the magazine, reveals a great deal of his personality and his style. He is not afraid to speak his mind, and he appears to have little sense of regret when he does, saying there was a need for him to take control.
"Everyone was hiding in their rooms. You can't do that and be a leader. You have to step up and take a position," he said.
He's not the only person who feels this way about the Red Sox. Hank's younger sibling, Hal Steinbrenner, who runs the business side of the Yankees, made similar, though not as vicious, comments in an interview with GQ.com on Feb. 19.
Get 'em Henry.
